


gentler than silk, stronger than steel

by jesseabrams



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Admiral Peralta, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff fest, Missing Scene, Season/Series 07, i also had a lot in my head so i wrote this really quicklu, jake and his father make me emotional, this entire episode made me emotional
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23454766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesseabrams/pseuds/jesseabrams
Summary: How could she be mad? Jake was trying to fix things in his family before starting his own. Jake and his father had the most tumultuous relationship she thought could be possible, and because of his putting the work in, over the course of the last few years, most of their speed bumps had turned into shallow potholes. She doesn’t have it in her to be mad - not when Jake is made entirely up of good intentions and a caring heart.
Relationships: Jake Peralta & Amy Santiago, Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 12
Kudos: 86





	gentler than silk, stronger than steel

**Author's Note:**

> I WROTE THIS SO QUICKLY LMAOOOOOOOOO i have a lot of feelings re: jake and his father.... its fine
> 
> title from _pyjama pants_ by **cavetown**.

“So, I have a grandfather.”

… which is information Amy already knows. As she sits on the couch, Jake next to her, her brows press in a line. She doesn’t know whether or not she’s annoyed or upset, so she lets him keep talking. Her nod says _proceed_ , so he does.

“And I called him in to fix things with my dad. Safe to say things did not work how I wanted them to.” Jake’s words are carried and delivered via an extended exhale, and they fall deftly into Amy’s lap. She holds them, and she holds the scant disappointment Jake doesn’t want to admit he’s harboring, too.

“I’m sorry,” Amy frowns, reaching a hand forward to rest on his knee. Her thumb strokes the worn denim, and when his hand rests on top of hers, his wedding ring is cold against her skin. Still, it makes her smile. 

“I mean, to give them, and me - mostly me - credit for it, they were doing well for a minute. They’re both goblins, but it was like… heartfelt goblins. Goblins bonding over games of catch and broken bones,” he says, his brows furrowing. Amy knows Jake and she knows the storyteller he is, so she smiles, quietly understands the analogy, and does not press him on it. 

The mix of emotions on Jake’s face make him look like a familiar stranger. She’s seen the look in his eyes once, maybe twice before - he’s defeated but does not, will not, give up. Jake’s heart is as tough against defeat as it is tenuous to vulnerability. The appearance of his father often makes a ghost out of her husband, but this time, he’s tangible enough for her to squeeze his fingers.

“Anyway, they really held onto the whole catch thing. Like, really held on. And I didn’t really try to stop them from throwing an aluminum can across the room, because I really didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. The cake was far back on the counter, on the platter you bought. I seriously underestimated how bad Walter’s aim was,” Jake sighs, shaking his head.

The more he talks about it, the more he feels like it’s his fault. He shouldn’t have brought them together - not everything can be or should be fixed. He shouldn’t have let them throw full cans in his apartment. He shouldn’t have left the cake out in the open. 

“Hey,” Amy gently presses, easing Jake back out of the shell he was starting to sink into. He loves his wife. He loves his wife so, so much. 

“Right. Sorry. The can hit the cake, the cake fell, we all put blindfolds on and tried to clean it up.” He grimaces at the memory of the blue smattered cloths and paper towels; in the same breath, his chest swells with excitement - he’s, and they are, having a boy, they’re having a son, he gets to be the father his father never was. He just wishes he could share that joy with Amy. He wouldn’t do that to her, though - she planned their little party for a solid month, and things were perfect. He didn’t have a heart selfish enough to take that joy of her motherhood journey away from her. 

“Did you see the color of the cake?”

Deflation. Jake puffs his cheeks and empties them, his fingers curling around hers. By body language alone, Amy already knows the answer is yes. 

“I tried really hard not to. I wanted to be able to share that with you,” Jake says, turning to face her a little more. “You spent so long planning this little party, and getting this cake made, and I didn’t want to get Jake all over it.”

Amy’s smiling. He’s confused, because he ruined everything, and she’s smiling. She’s smiling, and her hands are squeezing his a little tighter than before, and not in a frustrated way.

He’s confused when she kisses him and says “I love you so much.”

“You’re not mad?” 

Amy shakes her head, her hand lightly holding his cheek. Her thumb scrapes over the stubble he didn’t catch that morning, and her heart grows impossibly fonder for him. “No, I’m not mad at you,” she reassures, the smile on her face fully having softened. 

How could she be mad? Jake was trying to fix things in his family before starting his own. Jake and his father had the most tumultuous relationship she thought could be possible, and because of his putting the work in, over the course of the last few years, most of their speed bumps had turned into shallow potholes. She doesn’t have it in her to be mad - not when Jake is made entirely up of good intentions and a caring heart.

“You tried to fix things with your dad’s dad even though your dad definitely doesn’t have the cleanest track record in the world with you. You tried to do something nice, Jake, it isn’t your fault - of _course_ I’m not mad at you.”

Jake visibly relaxes. A smile slides it’s way onto his own features, and he nods his relief. “I won’t tell you, though. I swear. Not even if you ask.” 

“What’re we having?” Amy tries, head cocked.

“Pizza Rolls for dinner,” Jake replies immediately, and there is no situation on earth in which she could love him more.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! :) <3


End file.
